Strike anyone else as interesting that God gave His word to a bunch of men to write down...told those men what is right and what is wrong...I mean, we are to believe that He really gave them all of the facts of life and how to live it...and he did not bother to tell them: "the world isn't flat"? They all believed the earth was flat. I'm sure the devoutly religious have a perfect explanation for the that. They have a perfect explanation for everything because they never have to let the facts interfere with a good explanation and they can always fall back on "It's God's will and if He wants it to remain a mystery to us, so be it."

These are the folks who so often, do not perceive shades of gray. Stripped of color, the world is almost nothing but shades of gray. "Casablanca" was not a movie in "black and white" but shades of gray. "Rick" was nothing if not shades of gray. His stock in trade, gambling, boozing, women, bribery of officials etc., etc. But, a heart of gold and, in the end, the common good rises above self interest.

I just noted that at a museum in Michigan, president Obama was photographed sitting on the very bus where, decades ago, Rosa Parks drew a "line in the sand". He had a thoughtful moment about those times in our recent history, would be the White House spin. A political ploy to appeal to black voters, would be the Romney camp take. It would occur to so few of us in our sharply divided world, that both are undoubtedly the case. He can't see the political benefit in this move while, at the same time, being moved by the experience? Of course he can, in a world where black and white blend together. Our world.

It's not really our fault. Everything from the Bible to popular entertainment is replete with black and white images...only occasionally separated by gray.

A popular movie "National Treasure" depicted the bad guys as having families, as worrying about everyday matters, as feeling terrible when one of their number died. How often do we see that? The Broadway smash "Wicked" - the back story to "The Wizard of Oz" - is all about gray. The Good Witch isn't so good after all and the Bad Witch isn't all bad. But how often are we exposed to this story line.

It is so much easier, it makes life so much simpler, to view everything and everyone in black and white terms instead of having to deal with that broad gray area.

There is virtually nothing - no action, no person - that is all good or all, bad. Almost always, from one cometh the other. Almost always, shades of gray.